007 First Light

By deftly combining its stealth-sim expertise from the Hitman franchise with big-budget, blockbuster sensibilities, IO Interactive has crafted a stellar action espionage romp. Most of all, it’s a reverence for the source material, and a willingness to tell new Bond stories, that elevates 007 First Light to greatness.

007 First Light is an exquisite taste of slick spy action and blockbuster storytelling, and is fully what a Bond game should be, but rarely is.

While playing, you feel like you’re right in the middle of a Bond movie that races by at breakneck speed. One moment you’re trying to sneak through an office unnoticed, and five minutes later you’re in a thrilling car chase through London or shooting everything that moves to pieces. 007 First Light is a game that takes on a lot, but succeeds in almost every aspect. It never gets boring, though we would have liked the pace to be a bit faster in the first few hours. But once your first mission really gets going, it’s non-stop fun all the way to the finish.

No, 007 First Light isn’t a perfect game. The AI needs a ton of work. The audio issues are hard to overlook. And the online connectivity requirements remain one of IOI’s dirty, bad habits. But when it clicks, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. The combat is fluid and hard-hitting, the gunplay is super satisfying, the level design is impeccable, and it’s all wrapped up in a fun, Bond-origin story. It feels great to be a 00 again.

007 First Light is just like its protagonist: charismatic, energetic, funny, charming; as well as impetuous, exaggerated, and immature. He does what he wants to do, which is to entertain in every way possible. He completes his mission with a few lapses in style and without going unnoticed. Putting himself out there like this may not be ideal for a spy, but for a video game, it's a significant asset. The light of this new and brilliant James Bond is therefore neither dim nor dazzling. It's simply bright enough to radiate optimism about 007's video game future.